The present invention relates to a two piece, die cut, corrugated, three pound produce box with a separate recessed top locking lid. Such two piece boxes are necessary for the transportation and storage of produce such as mushrooms and the like. The boxes are normally shaped to allow nesting or stacking in such a way as to minimize the use of space. The boxes usually have a base length of approximately 115/8 inches, a top length of approximately 13 3/16 inches, and a width of approximately 5 9/16 inches at the top and 41/2 inches at the bottom. The boxes are usually ventilated with some type of orifice to allow air circulation to maintain the produce in a fresh condition.
The prior art boxes of this type are manufactured and shipped set up in nested stacks which, of course, require considerable shipping and storage space. Further, the lid on the prior art box is supported by and held in place on the bottom tray by a precision cut plastic strap handle. The handle, of course, increases the cost of the carton by the additional cost of the handle material and the labor or assembly costs necessary to attach the handle. Further, when the product is packed in the cartons, and they are stacked during handling, storing, and shipping, the produce is easily crushed because of the weight of the other cartons on top of the stack.
The present invention is an improvement on the construction of such cartons as taught in the prior art by providing a two piece die cut corrugated product box wherein the containers can be bundled and shipped as blanks thereby requiring considerably less shipping and storage space and a corresponding reduction in freight costs per unit, that do not require handles and thus eliminate the handle cost and labor or assembly costs associated therewith and which has a lid design allowing the lid to snap into place quickly and which provides greater protection against damage of the product from exterior crush during handling and stacking.